Redemption (The Alliance Series Book 1) (17 page)

              Running to the side, perpendicular to Frosty I took a grenade from my belt and pulled the pin, tossing it towards the ice wall as I dove to the ground, icicles lancing the ground I had just ran past as Frosty sent more missiles at me.

              The detonation was fast and effective. I didn’t bother to look at Frosty, trusting the grenade to have destroyed the ice wall. I had only a small window to pull off my plan if it was to succeed. 

              I summoned a fierce wind and directed it to lift the propane tanks I had spotted near the biggest structure. They were the size of beach balls and were common in most every backyard in America.

              The tanks rushed towards Frosty who had just recovered from the explosion. The grenade had, as planned, destroyed the wall and disorientated Frosty. Before he could recover, the tanks hit him hard. The four bottles knocked him to the ground and settled around him as the wind dissipated. I lashed out with a blast that split into four separate streams, each one headed for its own propane tank. The tanks went up in a loud and bright conflagration. Flames reached out and where they touched Frosty, they burned with a fierce intensity. Frosty’s calm certainty about how this was going to turn out changed immediately. He showed desperation as the flames ate away at his covering skin, exposing his white body. He grew to twelve feet and stood in the surrounding fires trying to find a way to escape the damaging flames.

              The flames of a natural fire were the giant’s enemy. I could have summoned flames of my own, but with Frosty’s abilities I was worried he would be able to counter magically summoned fire.

They wiped away his glamour and exposed his true form, they also made his magic harder to summon. Fire wasn’t instant death for frost giants but it scared and panicked them on a level so deep it could render them immobile. I didn’t wait for the giant to regain his composure; I couldn’t let him be able to bring his own magic to bear.

              I sent a steady stream of lightning at Frosty. This time the electricity found no resistance and he arched his back as the electricity ran wild through his nervous system. Muscles clenched tight, the giant was unable to do anything as my continuous flow of lightning pummeled him and cooked him from the inside out. Burn marks showed on his skin and smoke slowly started coming from his mouth and nose. His eyes rolled up in his head as the electricity caused such severe damage that his internal systems were destroyed.

              I released the energy supplying the flow of electricity. Blackness swam in my vision as exhaustion took me. I swayed but stayed on my feet. Cautiously walking towards Frosty’s remains to make sure the target was down for good.

              I need not have worried. Frosty’s body was a burnt out carcass, the electricity having cooked him thoroughly. His body slowly began to dissolve as it returned to its home in the Otherworld.

              I turned away and made my way back towards my position, the blood loss and pain of my wounds fighting to drag me down. If I did not seal my suit and stop the bleeding, it would be a race to see what killed me first, blood loss or hypothermia. I reached my pack and took out a first aid kit. Bandaging up my leg that had a deep gash where the bullet had grazed me, I used special designed bandages to seal the hole in my suit. I then reached down and stuffed a handful of snow into my shoulder, keeping the flow of blood to a minimum. Pulling out a jar of a clear looking jelly-like substance, I opened it and smothered the strong smelling concoction on my wound site. The goop was specifically made for these cold temperatures; it interacted with the cold and sealed the hole in the suit as well as stopped the bleeding in my shoulder. The stuff would melt when above freezing and I would have to get further aid, but for now, it made sure I didn’t die before I got help.

              I bent down and took out a satellite phone and dialed the number that would patch me into the home-operating base.

              “Base Bravo, this is Shadow One, over.” I said into the mouthpiece.

              “Shadow One this is Base Bravo, over.” I heard a voice say.

              “Base Bravo, this is Shadow One, Frosty is melted, I repeat Frosty is melted, request immediate evacuation at extraction site two, medical attention required, over.”

              “Shadow One, this is Base Bravo, that’s an affirmative on extraction request and an affirmative on medical attention, E.T.A. approximately twenty minutes, over.”

              “Base Bravo, this is Shadow One, roger that, see you soon, over and out.” I hung up the phone and loaded my gear, slowly making my way towards the extraction site.

Chapter 16

I was brought out of my memories by the sound of a siren coming from inside my head. Nathan sat upright cocking his head like a dog that hears a high-pitched sound.

              "Someone has tripped one of my warning wards." Nathan said.

              "Animal?" I asked.

              "Maybe, but animals can usually sense and avoid the wards." Nathan answered.

              "We should take a look just in case. Simmons and that damn centaur have found us before. I can't put it past them to have tracked us again." I said.

              "You're right, how do you want to play it?" Nathan asked.

              "We split up; you go around them towards the location of the activated ward. I'll hide nearby. If someone comes in I can keep them occupied until you can take them out from behind." I said.

              "Sounds good." Nathan said.

              We got up, grabbed our rifles and made sure they were loaded. We went to the opening and Nathan created a sound and light dampening field. It wouldn't make us invisible or totally quiet but it would muffle our sounds and blur our images making it harder for someone to detect us as we exposed ourselves going through the opening in the rock wall.

              We left the cave and went down to the Mule. We crouched behind it and Nathan disappeared around the side, quickly blending in with the night.

              I had my assault rifle; the rest of the gear was still locked up.

              I made my way to the opposite end of the truck. Listening and looking for any sounds or movement. I could occasionally hear a snap of dried underbrush. Someone was out there, from the sounds of it, it was either just one man or a few walking very slowly.

              The tree line lit up with a blazing glare as the Cobra came out of its stealth hover. As the helicopter showed itself, the spotlight found me instantly, turning night into day in a ten-foot circle around me. Every movement I made seemed to be mimicked by the searchlight. 

              I was caught. I started gathering energy for a blast. I could easily take out the electronics system on the helicopter.

              In an instant, I gathered the bolt to the palm of my hand and felt as the energy seemed to dissipate and fall through my grasp.

              It was if my power was disrupted! Simmons!

              I began to turn to look for him, knowing he had to be close to disrupt my magic. I saw from the corner of my eye as the stock of a rifle came at me in a flash.

              I wasn't able to do anything to stop it and I found myself on the ground, unable to get my bearings. I dizzily watched as black shoes with a mirror shine slowly walked up to me. I could tell when Simmons dropped down to one knee and said. "Night, night, John." There was another impact, then darkness.

I stirred awake, instantly regretting it.

              The pounding of my head where the rifle had hit me throbbed with every movement bringing on a fresh wave of pain. I noted that my jaw hurt where Simmons had struck me.

              I sat up, which was hard to do, having been handcuffed from behind and having my legs cuffed together as well.

              My rifle was gone. My bandolier was still on me, however. I guess Simmons didn't worry about that. It could only be accessed with my magic and with him around that wasn't going to happen.

              Simmons forcefully grabbed my hair and yanked my head back exposing my throat. "Where is the rest of your gear?" He snarled.

              "We put it on our mule." I answered groggily.

              "Don’t be smart with me, John." He answered taking a long sharp looking knife and pressing it to my throat.

              "Where is the rest of your gear?" He asked again.

              "I told you we loaded it up on our mule." I said again.

              Simmons took the knife from my neck and quickly ran it across my cheek.

              Stinging pain erupted from where he made contact, and the warm flow of fresh blood made its way down my neck.

              I began to get worried. He had a look in his eye that I didn't like. He seemed extremely happy.

              That scared me. I could tell that this time I don't think he had any plans to return me alive. He had always disliked me. The feeling was mutual. I knew this guy was crazy, but I figured he would follow his orders, unless he had gotten new ones.

              "You can't kill me, you're under orders to bring me in, remember?" I asked.

              Simmons started giggling. It was creepy.

              "Johnny, Johnny. You have no idea what I can do. I have my orders. For you, though, I think I am going to indulge a little. I have not been able to release myself in a while. I'm feeling that you would be a good way to get out some of my pent up frustrations. My men will keep your friend busy. In the meantime, we have some time to kill. I can get what I came for after I'm done with you. It won’t be far from you anyway." He said.

              He grabbed my cuffed hands, forcefully dragging me over to where we were covered by overhanging branches.

              "Now we can be alone." He said, bursting with glee.

              He took the knife and ran it along my other cheek, just keeping the edge tilted enough so that it wouldn't cut me.

              "It's been a long time since I could really use my knife. I do love taking the time getting to know people." He giggled.

              "Like those villagers in Cambodia?" I asked.

              Where was Nathan?

              "Who? Ah, yes, now I remember. That was a wonderful time, John. Thanks for reminding me. Even though I couldn't understand a word those primitives were saying I knew when they were pleading for their lives. It is all in the eyes, you know. When people realize they are about to die, everything flashes in their eyes. They can't hide; they can't get away from that simple fact. I made sure they all knew." He said.

              Rage was building in me. I was going to kill this monster. I didn't know how, but I vowed right there to myself to make sure this animal was stopped. His kind of evil was exactly what I had been spending my life exterminating.

              Gunfire was heard from a distance. It was muffled due to the sound of the helicopter as it continued to hover above the Mule.

              Simmons shook himself from his memories of the villagers and their torments. He looked at me with an almost giddy expression.

              "Time to end it John. I'm going to kill you now and I'm going to see the truth of it in your eyes as your lifeblood runs out into the earth." He said as he once again began to raise the knife towards my head.

              There was a muffled sound, like an explosion in a sound chamber coming from the helicopter.

              Simmons head jerked up and he sneered. "Not this time!"

              I figured that was Nathans doing. I took the hint. I rocked back on my shoulder blades and at the same time brought my legs up to my chin. I aimed at Simmons chest and as he started turning back at me his eyes got wide as he saw what I intended.

              I kicked him with both legs right above his stomach and heard an "unngh!" as the air left his body. He flew back from me and landed a few feet away on his back.

              I didn't wait to see if he got up.

              I instantly flipped over and stood up bunny hopping as fast as I could away from him.

              Nathan had attacked the helicopter. He had made his way through the troops Simmons had with him and managed to throw a shield around the Cobra’s rotor blades, destroying them.

              The blades had been ripped off and the chopper started falling from the sky, right at us. As Simmons raised his head up looking for me, he saw the falling chopper and much faster than I would have imagined, he ran off into the woods. The helicopter crashed in the exact spot Simmons and I were sharing some quality time a moment ago.

              On television, every time a car crashes or a helicopter falls from five feet or more, there is always an explosion. Sometimes actors can shoot at a helicopter with a pistol and make it blow up.